Award
Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development 5R21HD108696-02
Mechanisms by Which Macrocephaly Underlies Autism Spectrum Disorder
Recipient
University of Connecticut School of Medicine
Award Amount
$208,125.00
Ceiling
$208,125.00
Awarded
August 28, 2024
Identifier
5R21HD108696-02
This NIH grant supports research on how macrocephaly contributes to autism spectrum disorder by studying a mouse model with a mutation affecting brain size and development.
Description
The project focuses on the role of macrocephaly (large brain) in autism spectrum disorder (ASD), particularly in the prefrontal cortex, which mediates social cognition and language. It investigates a novel mouse model with a gain-of-function mutation in the ASPM gene to understand how abnormal cortical development contributes to ASD, using techniques such as immunostaining, single-nucleus RNA sequencing, and behavioral analysis.